Monthly Archives: February 2016

I wonder if you’ve heard of Slow Parenting or the Slow Movement? This is a philosophy of life, and of parenting, that believes that faster isn’t always better. That people, and children, need less scheduled activities and more time in nature, less climbing the ladder and more stopping to smell the roses, less entertainment and more inner peace.

Now new research could help explain that link between mind and body, with a study showing that stressed-out adults who practised mindfulness meditation not only had their brain connectivity altered, they also had reduced levels of a key inflammation biomarker, known as Interleukin-6, four months later.

Mindfulness is the principle means that I use to break contingencies in my psychotherapy patients and workshop participants. The more aware we are of how we react to situations will give us options on how to respond differently.

If you can put aside your preconceptions, there are real benefits to practicing mindfulness or even just meditating on a regular basis. You don’t have to be a member of the ‘washed-up hippy’ club and you don’t have to give away all your earthly possessions to pursue a life of spiritual enlightenment.